Enrollment is underway in a trial seeking patients at risk for developing type 2 diabetes to define the role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying their risk for the disease, according to a press release.

The NIH-funded Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study may also provide further insight as to how the supplement may affect glucose metabolism.

“Past observational studies have suggested that higher levels of vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing type 2 diabetes, but until this large, randomized and controlled clinical trial is complete, we won’t know if taking vitamin D supplements lowers the risk of diabetes,” D2d principal investigator Anastassios G. Pittas, MD, of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in the release.

Recruitment for the study began at 20 clinical sites throughout the United States, with a plan to enroll approximately 2,400 patients who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The patients will be randomly assigned to either vitamin D or placebo and will be followed for up to 4 years, according to a press release.

Disclosure: The D2d trial is supported under NIH grant U01DK098245, primarily sponsored by the NIDDK, with additional support from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and the ADA.

Enrollment is underway in a trial seeking patients at risk for developing type 2 diabetes to define the role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying their risk for the disease, according to a press release.

The NIH-funded Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study may also provide further insight as to how the supplement may affect glucose metabolism.

“Past observational studies have suggested that higher levels of vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing type 2 diabetes, but until this large, randomized and controlled clinical trial is complete, we won’t know if taking vitamin D supplements lowers the risk of diabetes,” D2d principal investigator Anastassios G. Pittas, MD, of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in the release.

Recruitment for the study began at 20 clinical sites throughout the United States, with a plan to enroll approximately 2,400 patients who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The patients will be randomly assigned to either vitamin D or placebo and will be followed for up to 4 years, according to a press release.